Wax Lips!

I love what the brilliant Joyce Sweeney helped me understand about writing with recurring images-- moving a story along using plot devices, motifs, threads.  They can be running jokes, memories, sounds. They don't really have to symbolize a thing. They can just be fun or give readers a sense of what's happening, a literary device. In Joyce's Plot and Structure workshop, we even created arcs for these devices.

A little Sweeney wisdom from my workshop notes:
This is not a first drafty thing! Rather, it's an opportunity for layering.
Make sure it doesn't become an irritant. ie Do not overdo!

In my notes, I found this quote. It sounds like Joyce, so I'm giving her credit:
"Take your soul and turn it into craft."

Whenever I read a novel, especially a kids' book, if an event or an object shows up where you might not expect it, and then shows up again, it makes me smile. I tried to do that with the box and the game of Junk Poker the two sisters in my novel, GLORY BE, play together.

Now I have a lot of fun talking to kids about my JUNK POKER box. 

Showing them my treasures.

I love it when I surprise kids--and occasionally a very young teacher!-- with something they've never seen.

Like a skate key.

 

(Kids always think it's a bottle opener...)

Another item of interest are my WAX LIPS. Remember those?

If not, let me refresh your memory.

(Thanks to my great friend, Julie, who posed at a gathering of her friends. Just for me, of course.)

So pull out your skates, find yourself some bright red lips, maybe deal a hand of whatever card game you play, think about your plots, but not to much, and have a great weekend everybody!